Cryptogramma
Encyclopedia
Cryptogramma is a genus
of fern
s known commonly as rockbrakes or parsley ferns. They can be found in temperate
regions on several continents worldwide. These ferns have two kinds of leaves which often look so different that at first glance they appear to belong to different plants. The fertile leaves have long, narrow, bumpy segments with undersides covered thickly in sporangia
. The edges of the segments may curl back to cover the sporangia, forming a false indusium
. The sterile leaves have thinner, wider segments which may be rounded and resemble the leaves of parsley
. These ferns grow in rocky areas, often in crevices and cracks.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of fern
Fern
A fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...
s known commonly as rockbrakes or parsley ferns. They can be found in temperate
Temperate
In geography, temperate or tepid latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally relatively moderate, rather than extreme hot or cold...
regions on several continents worldwide. These ferns have two kinds of leaves which often look so different that at first glance they appear to belong to different plants. The fertile leaves have long, narrow, bumpy segments with undersides covered thickly in sporangia
Sporangium
A sporangium is an enclosure in which spores are formed. It can be composed of a single cell or can be multicellular. All plants, fungi, and many other lineages form sporangia at some point in their life cycle...
. The edges of the segments may curl back to cover the sporangia, forming a false indusium
Sorus
A sorus is a cluster of sporangia .In fungi and lichens, the sorus is surrounded by an external layer. In some red algae it may take the form of a depression into the thallus....
. The sterile leaves have thinner, wider segments which may be rounded and resemble the leaves of parsley
Parsley
Parsley is a species of Petroselinum in the family Apiaceae, native to the central Mediterranean region , naturalized elsewhere in Europe, and widely cultivated as an herb, a spice and a vegetable.- Description :Garden parsley is a bright green hairless biennial herbaceous plant in temperate...
. These ferns grow in rocky areas, often in crevices and cracks.
Distribution
In North America, species within this genus are distributed over western and northern United States, Northwestern Mexico, and Canada.Species
- Cryptogramma acrostichoidesCryptogramma acrostichoidesCryptogramma acrostichoides is a species of fern known by the common names American parsley fern and American rockbrake. It is native to most of western North America, where it grows in the cracks of rocks in many types of mountainous habitat....
- American rockbrake - Cryptogramma cascadensisCryptogramma cascadensisCryptogramma cascadensis is a species of fern known by the common names Cascade parsley fern and Cascade rockbrake. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to Montana to California, where it grows in the cracks and crevices of mountain talus slopes, especially in moist subalpine...
- Cascade rockbrake - Cryptogramma crispaCryptogramma crispaCryptogramma crispa, the parsley fern, is a species of Arctic-alpine fern. It produces separate sterile and fertile fronds, up to tall, and is a pioneer species on acidic screes.-Description:...
- parsley fern - Cryptogramma stichensis - Sitka rockbrake
- Cryptogramma stelleri - fragile rockbrake, Steller's rockbrake, slender rockbrake